Skylight construction



Feb. 5, 1957 M. -vi/AssERMAN 2,780,283

' SKYLIGHT CONSTRUCTION, I

Filed veci 23,1952

United States Patent() SKYLIGHT CONSTRUCTION Max Wasserman, Cambridge, Mass.

Application December 23, 1952, Serial No. 327,637

1 Claim. (Cl.'16026) The present invention relates to a skylight construction and more particularly to the general type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 275,896, now abandoned, which relates to a well construction for the skylight opening in which there may be a space between the skylight dome at the top of the well and the ceiling at the bottom of the well.

As in my copending application, the construction may include a ceiling dome providing a substantially dead air space between the skylight dome and the ceiling dome.

Where the present construction is used on school buildings and also in homes, it is desirable to provide a curtain or shade which may be drawn across the well and completely shut off the light in the well.

The present invention is concerned more particularly with the structure involving the curtain or shade which is preferably drawn in general horizontal direction across the well. This construction will apply generally to rectangular, circular, or other shaped wells and in all cases may be used to completely seal the well opening so that no light will pass through it. Where the well opening is transparent, it is desirable to provide a construction in which the curtain is not visible from the oor, and there is also a distinct merit in doing this where the ceiling dome is transparent since the well should be clear in order to avoid elements in it casting shadows as far as possible.

In the present invention the stored curtain is out of sight inside the wall of the well and is drawn out in such a manner that substantially no light passes through the well between the walls and the well and the curtain on any side. The structure is simple, efficient and easy to install and is also accessible for removal or repair if desired. Without further describing the merits and advantages of the present invention, the invention will be described in connection with the drawings annexed hereto, in which:

Figure 1 is a view looking downward into the well with the top skylight dome removed.

Figure 2 is a perspective view partly in fragmentary section showing detailed construction of the well and curtain installation.

Figure 3 shows a detail in which the curtain is brought through the wall of the well.

Figure 4 is a detail showing the cord brought downward in the well, and,

Figure 5 is a modified detail of the structure shown in Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to Figures l and 2, the curbing of the well 'may be formed with side walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 which may enclose the roof opening and over which the skylight dome is mounted.

Referring more particularly to Figure 2, it will be noted that the wall 2 is provided with an opening or slot in which a curtain frame support 5 is secured. This curtain frame support is formed with top and bottom walls 6 and 7 and a rear wall 8 and has an upwardly extending ange 9 lying ush with the top section 10 of the curb wall or y 2,180,283 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 JCC wall of the well to which the ange 9 is secured by suitable screws 11, 11. The lower wall 7 of the curtain support structure rests on the lower section 12 of the well wall in its cut out portion and this wall 7 is also provided with a downwardly extending flange 13 which has a reversely bent section or plate 14 which extends upward across the opening or slot and is nished olf in an inwardly bent end section 15.

The distance between the upper end of the section 14 and the top end of the slot where the edge of the ange 9 begins, is sufficient to allow the curtain 17 with its end rod 16, Figures 3 and 4, to be drawn through. The curtain 17 comes from a roll 18 which is pivoted at its ends on a bracket 19 extending from the back wall 8 or either of the other walls of the curtain holding frame 5. This curtain roll 18 may be of the usual type with a tensioning spring on the inside of the rod supporting the roll so that the curtain will be drawn back in place when it is released. A series of screws 20 may be used to secure the lower section of the curtain supporting frame to the well or curb walls 12 of the well structure.

The curtain 17 is maintained in a horizontal position by upper and lower angle flanges 21 and 22 which are mounted on the sides of the well and which have extending plates 23 and 24 extending over the side edges of the curtain on both sides of the well. The curtain will rest upon the lower flanges 24 andthe cross straps or reinforcements 25 extending transversely across the curtain may be secured to the curtain 17 in any desired manner. These cross straps preferably extend all the way across the curtain and over the edges of the anges 24, so that the curtain will not sag at the center or at the edges when drawn over the well.

Attached to the end of the curtain is a cord 26 which may pass through a hole in a wall auge 27 attached at the end of the well opposite to that from the slot where the curtain is drawn out of its containing enclosure. This supporting ange which may be lan angle beam is secured to the wall 4 by any suitable means. Instead of using an angle plate or member, a channel member may be used with the upper plate element 28 running parallel and spaced from the angle arm 27.

The plates or anges 27 and 28 may be formed as a channel member or as shown, the plate 28 may be separately secured by an upwardly extending bracket 29 to the wall 4, similarly as the bracket 30 of the angle 27.

Figure 3 shows a slight modification of the structure in which the curtain rod 6 has a cord 31 extending through a hole in the wall 4 and at the back end of the wall the cord may be passed downward through a hole in the lceiling outside of the well.

In place of forming the side supporting elements for the curtain as a channel member, the top element may be removed if desired, but it is preferable to retain the top ange member 23 since this also aids in guiding the curtain and maintaining it always in the channel. The supporting straps 25 may also be attached to the curtain as shown in Figure 5 which shows a transverse section. Here the straps 25 are carried over the edges of the curtain and secured or clinched by binding the ends of the straps 25 over the lower parallel margins of the curtains as indicated by the section 32.

While the structure has been shown as applied to a rectangular shaped skylight opening, it may also be applied to a circular skylight opening :as shown in my copending application Serial No. 275,896.

ln this case the curtain is drawn over the full diameter of the well and for this purpose the side channels are recessed in the well and the curtain is also mounted in the well tangential to one side of the same. The side channels will then be perpendicular to the curtain when it is `rolled up and will occupy substantially a rectangular area when pulled outward having the same width as the diameter of the well.

Having now described my invention l claim:

In a skylight construction having walls defining a well extending below a skylight, means for shutting out the light passing through the well comprising an Opening formed in one of the Walls intermediate its upper and lower terminal portion, a frame having a top, a bottom and a rear wall disposed in the opening, said rear wall closing the rear of the opening, an upwardly extending ilange formed on the inner edge of the top wall of the frame and secured to the wall containing the opening immediately above the opening, a second flange formed on the inner edge of the bottom wall of the frame, said second flange having a front portion extending upwardly and terminating short of the top wall of the frame and having a second portion extending downwardly and secured to the Wall containing the openingV immediately below said opening, a roller mounted in the frame and carrying a curtain adapted to be drawn through the space between the top of the first portion of the second flange and the top wall of the frame and across the well, a number of reinforcing straps secured to and extending translatonally across vthe full width of the curtain, a pair of horizontal anges mounted on opposite walls of the well adjacent the wall containing the opening and defining tracks for the sides of the curtain and the ends of the reinforcing straps, and an additional pair of horizontal flanges mounted on the wall of the well opposite the frame adapted to support the forward end of the curtain when the curtain is drawn across the well.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 792,603 Lyman et al June 20, 1905 1,184,305 Benko May 23, 1916 1,297,365 Kroenung Mar. 18, 1919 1,583,133 Fierman May 4, 1926 2,006,648 Nobbs July 2, 1935 2,548,041 Morse Apr. 10, 1951 

